Threats to the Open Net: Week of 12/6/2010

By: Jillian C. York on 10 December 2010
Posted in China, Iran, Venezuela, United States/Canada, Asia, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Latin America, Legislation, Non-filtering content restrictions, Arrests and legal action, Threats to the Open Net

Every week, the OpenNet Initiative will provide a weekly roundup (dubbed "Threats to the Open Net") on our blog, in addition to our usual in-depth blog posts. If you would like to subscribe to the RSS feed for the entire blog or the weekly threats update, you may do so; you are also free to use the feed on your own site, with attribution to the OpenNet Initiative.

Threats to the Open Net

* Venezuela seeks to regulate the Internet with a bill that would "allow the government to restrict access to websites if they are found to be distributing messages or information that incite violence against the president."

* The BBC reports that senior Chinese leadership were behind the hacking of Google in early 2010 that resulted in Google exiting the country.

* Wired details the various vulnerabilities revealed this week as a result of attacks against WikiLeaks.

* ...And in somewhat positive news, the Guardian reports that imprisoned blogger Hossein Derakhshan has been temporarily released on $1.5m bond, allowing him to visit with his family in Tehran.